Man shot after argument near Whole Foods in Streeterville; person of interest being questioned: CPD

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 50-year-old man was wounded in a shooting after an argument near a Whole Foods in the Streeterville neighborhood on Friday morning, Chicago police said.

The shooting took place at about 8:36 a.m. in the 200-block of East Grand Avenue.

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One mom said families in the area are growing frustrated with what they say has been an uptick in crime.

"It could have been my husband and I. It could have been me. So of course, it just adds to the insecurity in the neighborhood," Ericka Pino said.

Pino was walking her two kids to school past the grocery store when, she said, they noticed an altercation between the victim and the suspect. A few minutes later, they saw the victim in an ambulance.

"I went to talk to the cops, and I said, 'Is it OK for my kids to come back out?' And they said, 'Well, it's OK.' But how could it have been OK if they had huge guns, and they were looking for a suspect?" Pino said.

The victim was shot in the left shoulder and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, police said.

Police said officers recovered a gun from the scene and a person of interest is being questioned.

Marcus Simonini said he was the one who called 911 after the alleged shooter came up to him, claiming someone took his jumper cables before trying to access the garage across the street.

"I just said 'I don't know anything about what you are looking for sir have a nice day,' and he just said, 'It's going to pop off around here sometime today,'" Simonini said. "So that's when I called Chicago PD, and got them on the line and right about then, no more than 20 seconds later, I heard gunshots go off right down the street. They heard it, and said, 'Please stay in your vehicle.'"

At one point, a SWAT team was seen going inside the parking garage next to the Whole Foods looking for the shooter. But Chicago police have since confirmed they've cleared the garage.

Crime has been a topic of concern for those living in Streeterville. It is why 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins says more and better policing is needed.

"When I first became the alderman, we had 500 police officers. We currently have less than 200. That is not enough," Hopkins said. "We have to put a stop to it."

But Pino worries that her children are getting too used to seeing crime.

"One of the people in the school announced, 'Hey, they recovered the weapon. Everything's OK.' And the kids didn't blink. The kids didn't go look at the windows. They weren't worried," Pino said. "What can we do? We're not safe on the weekends. We're not safe in the morning."

Authorities have not yet released the identity of the suspect, but Hopkins says charges are pending.

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